Erasing attachment for phonographs



(No Model.)

E. H. AMET. ERASING ATTAGHMENT FOR PHONOGRAPHS. No. 521,456.

Patented June 19, 1894.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD H. AMET, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ERASING ATTACHMENT FOR PHONOGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,456, dated June19,1894.

Application filed February 10, 1894. Serial No. 499,699. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. AMET, a citizen of the United States,residing in Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, havelnvented a new and useful Improvement in Erasing Attachments forPhonographs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in graphophones, phonographs orother mach nes for recording or reproducing sounds upon cylinders of waxor other analogous materlal, and more particularly to improvements indevices for paring or renewing the surfaceof the wax or other cylinderto permit it to be used over and over again.

The object of my improvement is to provide a paring deviceof a simpleand efficient construction which will operate to perfectly pare orsmooth the surface of the wax cylinder after it has been once used.

To this end my invention consists in connection with a revolving chuckor holder for supporting and revolving the wax cylinder and a travelingblock or trunnion for moving the knife from one end of the cylinder tothe other, (the same being preferably the same traveling block ortrunnion which, when the machine is in use, moves the needle support-1ng arm and diaphragm from one end of the cylinder to the other) of aparing knife mounted uponaweighted arm by which it is pressed againstthe cylinder, there beinga spring connection between the knife and theweighted arm, so that the knife may follow any-inequalities orirregularities in the true circular shape of the cylinder withoutproducing any inj urious vibrations in the weighted arm. The weightedarm is of course movable to enable it to press the knife against thecylinder, and it is preferably pivotally mounted. The paring knife ispreferably made in a separate piece from the spring which constitutesthe spring connection between the knife and the weighted arm; but theknife and spring may be formed of the same piece of metal, as will beobvious to those skilled in the art. By this means I am enabled to cut ashaving of uniform thickness and of just the required thickness from thecylinder and to leave the surface of the cylinder smooth and continuous,so that it will properly record and reproprovement.

duce sounds to be written or reproduced upon it by the needle.

In the accompanying drawings I have for convenience illustrated myinvention as applied to a graphophone of the ordinary type now, in use,although it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art thatmy invention is applicable to any kind of writing or talking machine,wherein a wax or analogous cylinder is employed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 an endelevation of a machine or device embodying my invention. Fig. 3illustrates a modification wherein the knife and the spring connectionbetween it and the weighted arm are in one piece.

In the drawings A represents the frame of the machine, B the wax orother cylinder which is to be pared, 0 its revolving chuck or holder bywhich it is supported and revolved, and D the traveling block ortrunnion of the graphophone which carries the needle from one end of thecylinder to the other in the ordinary operation of the machine.Gonnected to, the sliding block or trunnion is an arm or sleeve d towhich the needle carrying arm is ordinarily connected. The sliding blockor trunnion D is moved back and forth in the direction of the length ofthe cylinder by a screw E inside the slotted tube E in the usual manner.As the construction of these parts isperfectly familiar to those skilledin the art, a detailed description of them is un necessary to a fullunderstanding of my im- Only the end of the screw E is shown in thedrawings.

G is a weighted arm adapted to be connected and disconnected by a setscrew (1 with the arm (1 on the trunnion D. a H is the paring knifemounted upon the Weighted arm G. The weighted arm G thus serves to pressthe knife H against the surface of the cylinder with the required forceto cause it to cut a thin shaving from the cylinder B as it revolves.

H is a spring connection or cushion between the knife I-1 and theweighted arm G, inorder that the pressure of the movable weighted arm Gmay be exerted upon the knife H through the spring or cushion H, so thatany of the movements of the knife to IOO and from the center of thecylinder which may be necessary to enable it to follow anyirregularities in its shape will be taken up by the spring or cushionII, and thus not be communicated to the weighted arm G. Any vibration inthe weighted arm which would tend to produce sharp irregularities in thesurface of the cylinder and cause the shaving to be out too thick orthin at parts and interfere with the operation of the machine inrecording or reproducing sounds is thus prevented. The knife 11 ispreferably fixed in an arm 7L pivoted at h to the Weighted arm G and thespring 11' is inserted between the arm h and the weighted arm G, so thatthe pressure of the weighted arm G is exerted upon the knife II throughthe spring II.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modified construction in which the secondarypivoted arm h is omitted and the knife I'I made integral with the springH.

Instead of employing the traveling block or trunnion D of the soundrecording or reproducing machine as a means of moving the knifelongitudinally along the cylinder as the latter revolves, the knife maybe mounted upon any other suitable traveling block or device, and itwill also be understood by those skilled in the art that any suitablechuck or holder for supporting and revolving the cylinder may beemployed if desired.

I claim- 1. In a sound writing or reproducing machine, the combinationof a revolving chuck or holder for supporting and revolving the wax orother cylinder, of a knife for paring or smoothing the cylinder, amovable weight for pressing the knife against the cylinder, and a springconnection or cushion between the knife and said movable weight,substantially as specified.

2. In a sound recording or reproducing machine, the combination with arevolving chuck or holder for supporting and revolving the wax or othercylinder, a traveling block or trunnion, a weighted arm carried by saidtraveling block or trunnion, a paring knife carried by said weightedarm, and a spring connection or cushion between the knife and weightedarm, so that the pressure of the weight is exerted upon the knifethrough the spring or cushion and the knife thus permitted to followinequalities in the cylinder without producing injurious vibrations ofthe weighted arm, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a sound recording or reproducing machine, the combination with arevolving chuck or holder for supporting and revolving the wax or othercylinder, a traveling block or trunnion, a weighted arm carried by saidtraveling block or trunnion, a paring knife carried by said weightedarm,and a spring connection or cushion between the knife and theweighted arm so that the pressure of the weight is exerted upon theknife through the spring or cushion and the knife thus permitted tofollow inequalities in the cylinder without producing injuriousvibrations of the weighted arm, said knife being secured to secondaryarm h pivotally connected to sald weighted arm and the spring actingagainst said secondary arm h, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in a wax or other cylinder paring device, of arevolving chuck or holder for supporting and revolving the cylinder,with a paring knife, a movable weight for pressing the paring knifeagainst the cylinder, and a spring connection or cushion between theknife and said movable weight, substantially as specified.

5. The combination in a cylinder paring de vice of a revolving chuck orholder for supporting and revolving the cylinder, of a traveling slideor block, a weighted arm pivotally connected to said slide, a knife ortool for paring or smoothing the surface of the cylinder, and a springconnection between said knife or tool and said pivotal weighted arm,substantially as specified.

EDWARD H. AMET.

\Vi tnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, t EMMA HACK.

